Newly planted trees and shrubs should continue to be watered thoroughly, once a week.

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Fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with a water soluble solution.

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Keep weeds from making seeds now. This will mean less weeding next year.

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Keep deadheading spent annual flowers for continued bloom.

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Perennials that have finished blooming should be deadheaded. Cut back the foliage some to encourage tidier appearance.

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Plant zinnia seed by July 4th for late bloom in annual border.

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Spray hollies for leaf miner control.

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Prune climbing roses and rambler roses after bloom.

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Apply final treatment for borers on hardwood trees.

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Apply no fertilizers to trees and shrubs after July 4th. Fertilizing late may cause lush growth that is apt to winter kill.

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Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. With spider mite damage, leaves may be speckled above and yellowed below. Evergreen needles appear dull gray-green to yellow or brown. Damage may be present even before webs are noticed.

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Fall webworms begin nest building near the ends of branches of infested trees. Prune off webs. Spray with Bt if defoliation becomes severe.

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Divide and reset oriental poppies after flowering as the foliage dies.

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Semi-hardwood cuttings of spring flowering shrubs can be made now.

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Summer pruning of shade trees can be done now.

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Powdery mildew is unsightly on lilacs, but rarely harmful. Shrubs grown in full sun are less prone to this disease.

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Divide bearded iris now.

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Don't pinch mums after mid-July or you may delay flowering.

Lawns

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Water frequently enough to prevent wilting. Early morning irrigation allows turf to dry before nightfall and will reduce the chance of disease.

Continue to monitor for black spot on roses and treat as required. Also continue to monitor lace bugs on azaleas. Treating this late in the season, however, may have little value. In following years learn how to detect them earlier and treat them.

Very common problems of plants during the heat of the summer are drought, scorch, and heat stress. During dry spells water as needed. Plants that regularly scorch even when given ample water may benefit by being relocated to a more shaded location. In mid- to late summer fall webworms may also be seen.

Japanese beetles will continue to cause damage the first part of the month but will then taper off. Verticillium wilt is a destructive wilt that can quickly kill many tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species.

Japanese BeetleJapanese beetles (Coleoptera) feed on over 300 species of plants

Verticillium WiltRedbud (Cercis) wilted and died within a week from verticillium wilt

Cicadas start appearing this month.

Reduce problems with weeds by keeping them from making seeds by cutting or pulling before they flower.